Muslim and Black and Indigenous Lives Mattering in Activism and in Art

By Magdalena Peneva, Bulgaria

As a person coming from a country with 9.8% of the population whose religion is Islam, the lecture given by Professor Salman Hameed, was eye-opening for some reasons.  First of all, although Muslims are the second largest minority group in Bulgaria, people rarely think about the contribution they have to our society and economy.  Secondly, in 1984 the Bulgarian authorities forced Muslims at the time to change their names and religion, depriving them of their money and property, not to mention looting and confiscating mosques and turning them into discos and stores, at best.  Third, after the fall of Communism in 1989 , life for Muslims in Bulgaria is much better than it was in the past, as they have cultural centers and have regained a small part of their material and moral rights. 

Like Professor Sameed’s session, the lecture given by the activist Jose Gonzalez was touching because I like listening to music very much and the presenter is a Black Lives “artivist” and a hip-hop singer himself. It made me become aware of the different ways of expressing people’s anger and frustration by the White supremacy through dance, murals, books and clothing. It also gave me useful ideas for future lesson plans when teaching about rebellion – through Art and Music. The group work on the songs was amazing idea.  The Black Lives Matter Movement is a hot topic in my country, and is quite debated among my students, so the session mattered to me as a teacher. 

 I was shocked by the facts about police brutality and the lack of consequences after that.  Police brutality is a sensitive issue in my country, too, which I personally relate to because of my husband’s job.  My favorite part of the day was the visit to the Centre for Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research at the University of Massachusetts.  This is for several reasons.  First, we met dedicated people who empower Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to express their views and take actions related to racial and educational justice.  Secondly, CRJ is a safe space that offers professional development, programs, scholarship, media, events, and models for systemic change in education.

Last but not least, the CRJ is working on 5 areas of impact: racial equity, critical teacher education, youth leadership, fugitivity, and community engagement.